Australia is ready to send firefighting assets to the US if authorities request help to contain California blazes, the federal minister for emergency management, Jenny McAllister, has said.
McAllister told Sky News the federal government had contacted its US counterparts with the offer as fast-moving fires continue to burn across Los Angeles.
At least five people are dead, about 200,000 homes have been destroyed and almost 180,000 people forced to evacuate their homes in the unfolding disaster.
We are yet to receive any response for assistance [from US authorities], but of course, as always, we stand ready to assist our friends in the United States …
We’ll do everything we responsibly can should a request come before us.
And there’s a long history of cooperation between our countries on firefighting. We actually had personnel in the US over the course of 2024, and of course, we’ve received great benefit from US personnel coming to Australia in previous years as well.
With the California fires raging during Australia’s summer, the federal government is facing questions about whether it can afford to send firefighters to the US given the risk of bushfires here.
Asked if Australia had assets to spare during its own fire season, McAllister said: “It would depend on the nature of the request”.
We’d assess it. We’d assess, of course, our own needs. But we’ll do everything we, as I say, responsibly can to help our colleagues in the United States if they ask us.
The federal government has budgeted a record $96m over two years to boost the national aerial firefighting capability, which includes funding for one large air tanker and three multi-use helicopters.
The other large air tankers used during bad fire seasons are leased.
McAllister defended the leasing arrangements, saying fire chiefs had advised it was the best option to “secure a sufficiently flexible fleet to meet a changing fire environment”.
The government has commissioned a review into Australia’s firefighting needs, with the findings due later this year.
